What fish mix well with mollies (not goldfish, i've learnt!)

fIsHy13

fIsHy13

not a troll
Oct 5, 2005
392
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Can anyone tell me what fish mix well with mollies? Now that the goldies are gone, I want to put some more fish in my tank. I was thinking about guppies and platys, but I don't really don't know how compatible they are. By the way, the tank is 18 gallons. Also, is it best for mollies to live in shoals?
 
I've found them to do well in groups. They like a little salt in the water, and temp around 80. Swordtails and platys are what I've usually kept them with.
 
I moved this because mollies are not coldwater fish, and should not be kept in an unheated tank.

Salt is NOT something they like--they need harder water, and added salt replicates this. If you have hard water, they will be just fine without salt. If you have soft water, there are better ways to produce the same effect without using salt.
 
Yes, mollies can and do live in brackish conditions and can be adpated to full marine. However--salting water is NOT the same as creating brackish or marine conditions, and it's unlikely that most people will be purchasing wild-strain mollies. Commercially available mollies, particularly the 'fancy' strains like balloon and sailfins, are far removed from their wild cousins, and do not need the salt. And, since mollies are common community fish, the unneeded addition of salt can be hard on their tankmates.
 
Mollies are peaceful fish. Like any fish u can get the random male who can be a bully. But overall mollies get along with any fish that wont eat it. Ideally mollies do best with fish that alos like hard alkaline water but they are adaptable to water conditions. Mollies don't "school" but they are very gregarious fish who need the company of other mollies. You must have two females to every male. Great tank mates are guppies, platies, and swordtails.

Mollies DONT need salt. Its a myth that wont go away. Salt is pushed by the aquarium trade. Aquarium salt isn't even the kind of salt mollies would be found in, that would be marine salt. As I spoke of before, for a while the black mollies became a weaker species because of so much industry in breeding. So people found that the addition of salt would keep them alive longer and fight diseases and fungus. Really salt just covers up and delays the effects of poor water conditions. Mollies live very happily and for a long time with no salt. The salt myth stays because in the wild mollies are found in freshwater, brackish, and even open ocean. They have developed this adaption because they live in areas of frequent flooding and often get swept out into the ocean. You can adapt your mollies to full saltwater and keep them in a reef tank. Mollies main habitat though is freshwater. If anything abou adding salt, mollies benefit from the added hardness so marine salt or cichlid salt would be much more benefitial to add than aquarium salt. Adding aquarium salt is basically useless.
 
Oh. That is so strange because I have read tons of articles on the internet urging people to add salt. When I brought the mollies it even had a notice next to the tank saying that all mollies do well with a little salt in their water. The aquatics shop itself is the place I always go to get my fish stuff, and the staff there always grill me about the size of my tank and whether or not I've got compatible tank mates before they allow me to buy any fish. Do you really think a good, proffessional aquatics store like that would make a mistake about something? I will remove the salt in my next water change, but if the mollies get ill i'm blaming YOU, Orion Girl!

Have you even keot mollies before? Because you can't go around claiming stuff that you know nothing about.
 
Oh, and i'm blaming you too, KissofTheGorami. I'm really sorry but if you were in my position, who would you believe? The experts who have been in the fish hobby for ages, or just someone who posts messages in Aquaria Central? You probaly know a lot more about fish than me, but I'm telling you, mollies must do better with a little salt if the experts say!

Do you know what? My mollies have been more lively since I added salt, so they're living proof that mollies like salt!
 
Anything you do to your tank is your responsibility whether the advice comes from the internet, LFS, books/magazines, etc.

But think about it. Do you honestly believe that adding salt (not marine salt) in any way duplicates the environment that fish live in? The salt myth is one of the most annoying things that creep up on the boards all too often.
 
Yes. They live in brackish water, which has SALT in it. Anyways, salt is renowned in the fish hobby for healing sick fish, so what harm can be done? I will only stop using salt in my molly tank if you can give at least 1 excuse why it is bad for the fish, and it must be a good exuse!
 
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